Thunder
by Hidden in Shadow's Safety
Summary: OBVIOUSLY AU. After unwilling going to his rival for help, Mello finds out something new about the albino. Near doesn't want to talk about it though. I mean, who wants to talk about their greatest fear? Rated for swearing. Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, or the characters. I only own the plot. Also, seeing as this is AU, expect some OOCness. Don't like? Don't read.
1. Part One

THUNDER

Part 1/2

**A.N. And I am here with a kinda fluffy two-shot. There's not any official pairings, but I guess there's some MelloXNear if you squint a bit.**

**This is based solely off a headcannon that I came up with... during a thunderstorm ironically enough. Yup, trust me to come up with things in the same situation.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Read, Review, Favorite, and Follow, please.**

_'I can't believe I actually had to ask this shithead for help,' _Mello thought, staring at the younger teenager with disdain.

A flash of bright light made it's way into the room, causing Near to freeze. At the sound of the low rumbling that followed, the white-haired boy stood up and dismissed himself.

_'So, the Sheep's afraid of thunderstorms, huh?' _the blonde thought, hearing the nervousness in the other's voice. _'This I gotta see.'_

Silently, the blonde crept into Near's room, opening the door only wide enough to slip inside.

The first thing Mello noticed was the corner of a white blanket sticking out from under the bed. The second thing was the soft sobbing; also coming from under the bed.

A sudden wave of sympathy washed over Mello as he knelt down at the foot of the bed.

"Near," the blonde said gently, "come on out, nothing's going to hurt you."

"M-Mama?" Near choked out, as if seeing an illusion.

"What?" Mello questioned. "I'm not your mother, Near. Are you _trying _to piss me off by pretty much calling me a girl?"

Near glanced out from under the bed, a nervous look in his eyes. Slowly, he crawled out from under the bed and curled up against it. The white-haired boy still held the blanket close to him.

"Hey, you wanna, tell me why you're so afraid of thunderstorms?" Mello asked, remembering something from his childhood. "My mother used to tell me that explaining to someone why you're afraid of something will help you get over that fear."

The smaller boy shook his head, trembling with the next clap of thunder.

Mello scooped the smaller boy up into his arms, placing him gently on the bed. "I'll stay by the door until you fall asleep, okay?"

Near nodded weakly, curling up into a ball and making himself seem as small as possible. Mello walked across the room and leaned against the doorframe.

_'I keep forgetting he's still just a kid,' _Mello thought. _'It's scary how similar we really are; aside from all the obvious things, I was afraid of thunder too... and spiders... and earwigs... and **wow** I was a pathetic child.'_

The blonde didn't move for what felt like hours, until he saw the younger male's breathing even out.

Smiling gently, Mello slipped out of the room, flicking the light off on the way out.


	2. Part Two

THUNDER

Part 2/2

The next morning, when Near finally woke up, memories of the previous night returned.

Curious about the blonde's actions, he sat up and managed to drag himself out of bed. Slowly, he walked out of the bedroom to see Mello passed out on the couch, something -the morning news, apparently- still playing on the TV.

"Mello?" Near asked softly. The blonde stirred slightly, groaning as he woke up.

"Morning, Sheep," Mello said tiredly. "How's you sleep last night?"

"Well enough," Near shrugged. "Why did Mello do what he did last night?" He decided it would be better to ask now; people tended to be more open when they were tired.

"I dunno," Mello yawned. "I just felt sorry for ya, I guess. I used to be afraid of thunderstorms too; up until I was-" he paused to think "-about five, _maybe _six."

Near blinked as the new information sunk in. _'Apparently Mello can feel fear,' _the albino thought.

With a few words to excuse himself, as well as asking the blonde got get out of his room, Near walked down to the investigation room; he wasn't letting the previous night's events hold him back.

As he sat down in his usual spot, the unwanted flashback popped into Near's head.

"_I told you we should have stayed home!" the woman in the passenger's seat exclaimed as another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky._

"_Stop whining about it, Charlotte," the man behind the wheel replied. "Just you wait, we'll get home perfectly fine."_

"_Look, just be careful, and keep your eyes on the road, John."_

_From the back seat, the five year old boy watched his parents argue. It was a common thing; he wasn't bothered by it. However, he agreed with his mother. It was a bad idea to leave the house in that storm._

_The car's tires hit a large slippery patch on the road, causing it to loose it's traction. The vehicle swerved off the road, into a nearby tree._

_Before everything went black, the boy heard a worried cry of "Nate!" leave the woman's mouth._

_Less than a week later, the boy was the new kid at Wammy's House. Instead of "Nate River," he went by "Near."_

"_Near is a good name," the man said. "You will always be near when someone is saved."_

Shaking his head slightly, Near promised himself that he would get over his fear of thunderstorms and move on.

He couldn't let the past hold him back.

How would he be able to save _anyone _when he was too absorbed in his memories?

**A.N. Yes, I so quoted L. I don't regret it all. I swear, if anything, that's the only part I like about the ending. Well, see you whenever I get the next chapter of All You Have posted!**


End file.
